The Foreign Desk - latest episodes

Just days before the European parliament elections, seen by many as a referendum on populist parties across the continent, a video of Austria’s vice-chancellor – and leader of the far right FPO – was leaked, seemingly…

As the results of Australia’s federal election were counted on Saturday night, those expecting a win for the left-wing Labor party had a bit of a shock. Despite years of opinion polls suggesting that opposition leader Bill…

The US and Iran have never really been close. But over the past few weeks tensions have flared, leading to fears of open confrontation between the two. But where did the animosity begin and what are they fighting about this…

South Africa is gripped by political-corruption scandals, soaring unemployment and a continuation of the racial inequalities that the ANC fought so hard to overcome. Is the ruling party running out of ideas?

The tiny west African country has been, in recent memory at least, a bastion of democracy. But just before this month’s elections, a new law effectively stopped all political parties but two – both favoured by the president…

Coups d’etat have been enjoying something of a renaissance. But who really gains when they go right? What happens when they go wrong? And can it ever be guaranteed that the grass is greener on the other side?

No Ukrainian election has been as closely watched as last weekend’s presidential run-off. But was comedian Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s landslide victory all about him or was it a rejection of the establishment?

Russia has been no friend to the internet in recent years. First it introduced a swathe of tough online restrictions and now it wants to create a “sovereign internet”. Under this plan, the country’s internet service could…

Renegade Libyan general Khalifa Haftar has been advancing towards Tripoli for some weeks now. It’s not clear what his aims are but most observers agree that further conflict is the last thing the country needs. So what is…

Benjamin Netanyahu is all but certain to retain the office of prime minister of Israel. But with a number of corruption allegations against him and an increasing reliance on the sort of foreign allies of which Israel would…

As the so-called Libyan National Army, led by rebel general Khalifa Haftar, advances on Tripoli, Andrew Mueller asks what, if anything, Haftar is after and if this could lead to yet more violence in the troubled country.

Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan declared last weekend's local elections to be about the ‘survival of the nation’. That was until his ruling AK party suffered its biggest defeats in years. Votes are still being cou…